Quintanilla de Arriba, overlooking the Duero river that laps its hamlet, is equidistant along the N-122 (the A-11 or Duero motorway under construction), 45 km from Valladolid and Aranda de Duero, with 7 km leading to Peñafiel.

The territory of Quintanilla de Arriba, 28.3 km2, borders the Archaeological Zone of Pintia (Padilla de Duero-Peñafiel) where in prehistoric times (3rd and 4th centuries B.C.) tartrates already appear on ceramic vessels in its necropolis, which bears witness to the presence of wine in these lands in such an early period. Later, the Romans who occupied Pintia cultivated vines and made wine, and in the 12th century the Cistercian monks who founded the Monastery of Santa María de Valbuena brought vines from their native Burgundy which they planted in the “vinea monachorum” mentioned in the documents, on their farm at Monviedro, in the present-day pago de Valdelasmonjas, belonging to the municipality of Quintanilla de Arriba.

The Infante Don Juan Manuel (13th and 14th centuries), lord of the town of Peñafiel and the places in his territory, including Quintanilla de Arriba (then Suso), established in his ordinances a detailed regulation of the wine trade in his domain. For this reason, Quintanilla de Arriba forms part of the route of Don Juan Manuel, as well as the Valladolid route of Charles V.

The cultivation of the vine, the grapevines, the trade and consumption of wine, which was always considered a basic complement to the diet of the people of Quintanilla de Arriba and of these lands of the Ribera del Duero, together with the vineyard huts, the wine presses and winepresses, the underground cellars of the wine cellars, the customs and uses of the grape harvests, the vocabulary surrounding wine, all bear witness to the importance of wine in the region; all of this bears witness to the importance of wine in the life and culture of Quintanilla de Arriba and of the Quintanilleros, who were always very fond of the morapio of the wine cellars, the merendolas and the ritual of going up to get the jug, the pitcher and the demijohn of fresh wine.

The land consolidation of the 1960s and the hegemonic cultivation of sugar beet led to the decline and uprooting of a large part of the vineyards and a huge drop in wine production, which once reached the figure of 100,000 jugs.

The 1980s and the creation of the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin brought about a renaissance in vine cultivation, which was accentuated in the 1990s and is still very active. Nowadays, in Quintanilla de Arriba, in the heart of the Ribera, in the so-called golden mile, vineyards are a booming crop with more than 300 hectares of high quality vineyards and 8 wineries selling wine.

Its heritage includes the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and the Ermita del Cristo de Cabañón, made of stone and brick, built around 1991 by the local painter Francisco Arranz Escobar.

Quintanilla de Arriba has a river beach area on the banks of the Duero that allows bathers to take a dip when the summer sun shines. This area is shared with stage 12 of the Senda del Duero GR14.

This Valladolid municipality celebrates its main festivities in honour of Nuestra Señora del Rosario La Función (first Sunday in October). It also celebrates San Masín (third weekend in August), the so-called summer fiestas.

Quintanilla de Arriba is known by the locals as: quintanilleros.